Bedspring structure



May-29, 1923. 1 1,456,738 I w. o. LATHROP BEDSPRING STRUCTURE Filed Aug. 10 1921 Patented May 29, 19233.

' WILLARD 0. LArH'aor, or oIncInnArI, OHIO.

BEDSPRING STRUCTURE.

-App1ication filed August 10, 1921. Serial No. 491,259. 7

To all 10 72am it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLARD O. LATHROP,

a citizen of theiUnited States of America,

and a resident of Cincinnati in the county of Hamilton. and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Bedspring Structures,of which the following is a specification. 1

This invention relates to wire spring-beds in which there are upright helical springs that are coupled together by meansof hooksupport th em laterally I ended strips of wire to without interfering with their resiliency or elasticity, and the object of the invention herein is to provide spiral-springcouplinginserts between assembled groups of the top or upper coils of vertical helical springs and arranging them horizontally in the gap or space lying between adjacent coils of each of of order but readily and cheaply assembled,

repair when required, and itsand put in details will be fully described in connection with the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which p Figure lis a fragmentary plan view of a group or cluster of four adjacent large upper coils of the helical springs used in each unit of an ordinary bed-spring structure, showing my improved spiral-spring c0upling-insert in the customary gap or space that lies between them; Fig. 2, a scctional elevation, taken on the dotted-line 2, 2, of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a diagram containing and showing separately therein the three'essential componentparts or elements of the spiral-spring coupling-insert of my invention herein; and Fig. 4, a fragmentary elevation showing one of the shepherd-crook ends of one of the coupling-wires of my insert herein, including a cross-section of an upper coil of a helical spring in place therein. 5 indicates each one of the usual group or cluster of the top or large upper end-coils of helical springs, (broken arcs. thereof only being shown, and 6 indicates the outer ends of the, coupling-inserts used to unite and support the said upper coil-ends of the helical springs in assembled groups across the mattress or outer ends show the said is connected shanks 7 and the action of said spiral bent in shepherd-crook shape and formtempered resilient hooks for'the desired snaphook engagement thereof with the saidu'pper coil-ends of the helical springs, readily en- 'asana p g ed. to em. The said i 6 of the wires areigpreferably gaged and disengaged for assembling the helical springs, or in making repairs when necessary to replace any of such springs, or to provide for breakage.

shepherd-crook engagement In Figi e I be with vthe helical coil-end 5. Said 'couplinglIlSGI'iZS'lIG each composed of a pair of corresponding Y-shape wiremembers and a spiral spring, as 8. The said Y-shape members are each composed of an open or U-shape shank? and a pairof forked-arms 8, 8, the latte-r having" v and dis-N2 at their outer ends '6 the said shepherdcrooks for ready connection with connection from the upper helical coil-ends.

uach arm of with an: upper coil-end 5, so as to connect the coils in pairs, and the shanks 7 of the two close to each other, and the spiral spring 9 1S placed at the proper time on the engaged pai of shanks 7 so as to encircle them in the fork of a Yc-shape member Y shape members are brought together in contiguous alinement so that they r may slide one in contact with the other, or r .7 shown in the diagram, Fig.

their sliding-relation, a-nd'the opposite; ends 1 10 of the said spiral are turned-or tucked in.

wardly into the bight or vnose 11 of the said prevent its partfrom position onthesaid The said spiral thereby used to form. stops at springs 9 serve each other, the space betweenv tlie'longitudif.

nal legs of the wire in each shank forming a guide-way for the inwardly-tucked ends 10' in the expansion and contraction of the said spirals.

The Y spiral-spring coupling-inserts herein I each contribute toward supporting the helical springs upright ture, for the required surface or horizontal elasticity in the mattress, the helical springs providing or imparting the desired vertical 7 and, also, afford or su'pply the desired elasticity in the bed-strucresilient and cushioning eflect, and owing mainly to the inwardly tucked ends thereof in the guide-Ways of the assembled shanks 7 I claim In a bed-spring structure, an elastic torsional coupling-member for each group oi four or amultiple of helical springs in the structure, such coupling-member comprising a pair of corresponding forked resilient-Wire members having fastening-hooks at their forked outer ends adapted to connect with and support the upper coils of respective grouped helixes U-shape shanks in the said forked members adapted to lie contiguous with each other for sliding-engagement longitudinall along one another, and spiral springs encircling the said slidinglyassembled shanks and having their opposite ends turned inwardly in the guide-Ways formed by the said U-shape shank-s for coupling the pair of forked members into reciprocating and torsional elastic relation, substantially ,as and for the purpose specifi ed. WILLARD O. LATHROP. 

